


Patience One-Shots

by Aydaptic



Series: Patience [4]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-24 18:14:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16645325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aydaptic/pseuds/Aydaptic
Summary: As I had to "kill my darlings" for the sake of pacing in the 3-part fic series "Patience" itself, I decided to put the rest in a collection of one-shots. Naturally, this is set in is that exact universe. You'll get the general gist even if you haven't read it.With artwork (by me)





	Patience One-Shots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which John comes up with an excuse for spending more time with Kaidan who's always too busy to talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Long time no see.
> 
> I've been really busy lately with a course I'm taking in video game 3D Design and Animation, so I don't have much spare time to write. I've also been struggling with writer's block and lost the spark I once had for several fandoms. In any event, I've not left any of my fandoms completely, I've simply been more of a "casual" fan. If you've been following me/reading my stories, you'll know that I haven't posted in quite some time in the _Mass Effect_ fandom.
> 
> I stated about a year ago that I'd be creating some one-shots for my series, and I keep my promises, so here's the first one. Keep in mind that the updates will be very irregular and won't be following any specific patterns. As for chapter 1, I wrote this ages ago but never published it.
> 
> The rating is "Explicit," considering that the later updates will have smut.

“Hey, K. Got a minute?”

Kind, whiskey-brown eyes shot up from a datapad to cast a glance above his shoulder. There was a brief hint of surprise on Kaidan’s features. He threw his arm over the couch lean, tilting his head, his thigh twisted and ankle propped up on his knee joining its movement.

“I -yeah. I’ve got to finish this report, but the due date is by the end of the week. Anything you need, Commander?”

_Always busy..._

“What happened with ‘John’?” he asked, appearing amused.

Judging by how the thick brows before him shot up, he seemed taken aback by the question.

Kaidan blinked. “I... sorry, John. Bad habit, you know? Besides, I didn’t think you’d allow me to... I mean, after what happened -”

“C’mon, K. We’re past Horizon,” he said, feeling soft eyes upon him as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets. “It’s ancient history. We’ve got bigger fish to fry anyway, and if we’re lucky, the Council will eventually pull their heads out of their asses. I wanna get back to how things were, yeah? Forget Cerberus ever happened. Forget our fall-out.”

The smile appearing on Kaidan’s full lips was enough to have his head to cartwheels.

“I’d like that,” he said, voice penetratingly soft.

Their eyes lingered for a moment considered longer than appropriate.

Better not read too much into it.

Kaidan cleared his throat, tearing him from his thoughts. “So, uh... what’s up?”

“Back at the _SR-1_ \-- when we shared those beers before Ilos -- remember when I told you about the Reds and that I knew nothing of biotics?” he asked, relieved to move this along.

“Yeah, sure. Difficult to forget. Why bring this up?”

With a grimace, John stepped up to him. “At the age of 14, during a robbery with the Reds, we happened to come by some tacky-looking containers. Heavily secured. Wrapped and bolstered in metal. I guessed it was some kind of unlethal gas seeing that I didn’t die, but I didn’t exactly have the funds to get it checked with the medical.”

He propped down next to Kaidan and intertwined his own hands, feeling the heat of an arm behind his back.

Behind his hand, John coughed off the sensation. “As you’re well-aware of... every Alliance soldier goes through checkups to see if they’re capable in the medical department to serve and funny enough, they found element zero.”

“You’re a biotic?” he asked, eyes wide.

“Hell, I can’t create several ‘waves of dark energy’ as you guys do. According to the doctors in charge of Lazarus, my exposure is only large enough to learn one power. It’s like a Force thing, yeah? Star Wars crap.”

Kaidan chortled. “I –I mean, it, uh... it’s tough to explain,” he said, dropping his arm to rest in his lap. “Being exposed to element zero gives you the ability to manipulate dark energy and create mass effect fields. Implants keep that dark energy under control. Think of it as the same phenomenon like FTL travel. If you’re exposed, that... that means you can learn how to use it.”

“Teach me.”

With that, Kaidan’s eyes snapped open. “You, uh... you want _me_ to teach you?”

“Can’t see why not,” he replied, expression deadpan not to reveal his true intentions. “Considering that you were given your very own Spec Ops division and a promotion to go along with it, I can’t think of anyone better. At the top of it all, if you’ve got the patience for a bunch of kids, dealing with me would be one hell of a lot easier.”

“Uh-huh. With all due respect, considering the circumstances, I don’t know if I agree with that,” he teased, receiving a friendly shove in return. “I mean, I... I guess we could start simple.”

“How ‘bout _Reave?_ Hear your pretty good at that.”

The look Kaidan gave him could mean nothing but, ‘are you insane?’

John grinned.

“You want to start... with _Reave?”_

“Seems useful.”

“Comman –John. That... that’s aiming a little too high.”

He shrugged. “More sessions, then. That’s fine. Wanted to catch up anyway.”

After a brief silence, Kaidan let out a small laugh. “Okay, that –that’s your funeral. I can’t promise you anything, but... I’ll try. Give me a time and place and we’ll get started.”

“I’m free now.”

Kaidan arched a brow. “Like... right now?”

“It’ll be about twelve hours before we reach Eden Prime. We’ve got time. What do you say, major?”

“John, you... you’re a force to reckon with.”

“You know me. I go all in,” he replied, pulling himself up from the couch. “Let’s get down to it. Teach.”

With a fond smile, Kaidan shook his head. “Heh... aye, aye, Commander,” he replied, rising to his feet and putting the datapad aside. “Okay. First off, you, uh... you need to feel how it’s like to have controlled dark energy envelop your body. It can be a bit disconcerting -- uncomfortable, if you will -- when you’re not used to it. Stand still and close your eyes.”

“Close my eyes?” he asked, brow arching.

“C’mon,” he replied with a roll of his eyes, and although confused, John obeyed nonetheless. “Biotics is a gradual process, so you need to be as calm as possible until the dark energy stabilizes itself, lest you risk having to start channeling them forth all over again.”

“Care to expand upon that?” he asked, feeling movement behind him.

“Think of it as archery. The longer you hold the string back, the further the arrow will go, and only when the bow is fully drawn will it be able to reach its full potential,” he replied and it started to make sense. “Biotics in general is going to take some time to get used to, you know? I’ll activate mine, and if you’ve got an implant, yours will react.”

Shortly after, he felt his wrist gently grasped and a chest pressing lightly against his back. Blood began to pulse in his veins. It was as if his heart was fed twice more blood than normal.

There was a certain protectiveness in his grip that promised to catch him if he fell.

“Your heart’s beating really fast, John. Relax. I’m not going to hurt you,” came Kaidan’s soft, honeyed voice, reassuring him with a comfort that only words could reassess.

_That’s not why it’s beating, K._

Slowly but surely, a pulse slowly prickled at the tips of his digits. Kaidan’s biotics enveloped his body and he shivered. The sensation was far away from the biotics on the receiving end that various thugs, Eclipse mercenaries and krogan warlords had targeted him with. This time, it was like a lover’s embrace, and embrace that he had control over to some extent. He furrowed his brows in concentration. Feeling his own biotics begin to traverse his arm, it slowly began to envelop his whole body, covering him in dark energy.

“That... huh, that doesn’t usually happen,” Kaidan said, although there was no alarm in his calm voice. “Biotics... hell, we feel the presence of other biotics, but this is... different. Mine hasn’t reacted in this way before.”

“K,” he warned.

Kaidan cringed. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to be cryptic. I just... sorry. I’m getting ahead of myself,” he replied, almost appearing flustered. “Despite your heartbeats, you’re relatively calm, and your biotics are picking up on it. When two individuals join their biotics, and one of them is just learning how to use them, they usually react negatively to each other. They flicker uncontrollably and sends the one in my position painful shocks, like static electricity, just in much more intense waves. Your field is steadfast. I can’t feel any pain whatsoever.”

“My field?” he asked, still confused.

“You, uh... you can open your eyes now,” he replied, the smile heard in his voice.

Slowly fluttering his eyes open, he looked over his shoulder, Kaidan’s light blue silhouette draping around his form. His every edge. It sure did bring out his eyes as they burned a weak blue.

John’s blue orbs traversed the wrist still in Kaidan’s hand, seeing a steady biotic aura around his own body.

“Wait... that’s mine?”

“Sure is,” he replied, nodding. “However, if I deactivate mine, it’ll disappear again. I’m using my biotics to keep yours active. It’s a necessity in the early stages.”

“So your teachers at BAaT walked around touching everyone?”

Kaidan rolled his eyes at his choice of words. “No. No, they just had to remain within a fair distance. Ten feet, tops.”

“Ten feet, huh?” he asked with a smirk, looking back over his shoulder.

At that, a light red color filled Kaidan’s cheeks as he chortled.

“I, uh... I remember my first few weeks at BAaT,” he said with a small, somewhat sheepish smile. “Rahna... Rahna was a nervous wreck in the beginning. Her biotics flared out of control. I wanted to help her, and without thinking, I put a hand on her shoulder. After that, she shortly calmed down, regained her posture. Feeling the presence of a friend can be helpful in stabilizing their biotics. Despite everything that’s happened since, I, uh... I guess we were pretty close back then, so I figured I’d give it a shot.”

With that, he deactivated his biotics, and the sensation slowly retracted.

Kaidan let go of him and pulled away. “As for _Reave,_ I can’t say I’m too ecstatic to be a practice dummy, so we’re gonna have to order a few mechs without a defense protocol to stay safe. The cargo bay is perfect as we won’t even have to leave the ship.”

“Looking forward to it, major.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** This idea came to mind because you have to talk to Kaidan in order to get _Reave_ as a bonus talent. Shepard is technically a biotic considering s/he can learn biotic bonus powers even with the Soldier class. I tried to come up with a "lore" reason for that and this is what happened.
> 
> From a logical standpoint, Shepard learns _Reave_ from Kaidan.


End file.
